Why Ben Can't Be Late
by ETNRL4L
Summary: A dangerous mission. An absent Wielder of the Ultimatrix. This is what happens when Kevin has to chase down Ben for a mission. My reaction to the first aired Benlie kiss EVER! Somewhat brotherly Bevin and definitely Benlie. Please Read and Review!


**A/N: This is the byproduct of my seeing a single Benlie kiss posted on deviantArt. Can you imagine what I would come up with if the show would have actually expanded on this relationship further? ROFL! I know I should be writing the next installment to 'Happiest Place on Earth or NOT!', but I couldn't help myself…**

**When Inspiration hits…**

**I really hope Rakcrack14 reads this! The kiss happens in the finale! Airing in the U.S. on 03/31/12.  
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**Disclaimer: Man of Action owns all the Ben 10 characters I love!**

**Please Enjoy!**

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><p>Stating that Kevin was angry at his supposed best friend was an understatement.<p>

The report from the Plumbers' Brass about Aggregor's escape from the Null Void had come in at midnight on this part of Earth. He and Ben's deployment to 'apprehend' the fugitive murderer, who was currently somewhere in deep space, eluding capture, had followed about an hour later.

The Osmosian had been _attempting_ to get at least four hours of continuous sleep before his next feeding shift with his son when his orders came in. Needless to say, neither he nor Gwen were happy about him leaving on what professed to be, at minimum, a two-week assignment while they had a new born to deal with.

However, they were both fully deputized agents of the intergalactic law enforcement organization and therefore, understood their duty when mobilized. The raven-haired twenty-three year old forced his sleep-deprived butt out of bed, immediately setting to the task of gathering up his team for the job through the comm links on all their badges. Considering, none of them lived in the same part of the country (and in Cooper's case, not even the same continent, currently), he was pretty well pleased, he'd been able to get everyone ready to go within three hours.

He'd even had the consideration of purposely leaving the brunette for last as he paged the different members of the squad. The man had been working double-overtime due to an unexpected surge of criminal alien activity here on Earth the past several weeks and after the birth of his own boy, the Osmosian simply hadn't been afforded the time to help him out whatsoever.

This, however, did **not** excuse the fact that he was well over an hour late to their rendezvous at the RustbucketIII and not answering any of the hails his best friend was sending him. Everyone else had made it by the appointed time of 4:00am, so that they could all leave before dawn broke. Time was of the essence here. The longer they took to get out there and look for Aggregor, the better the fugitive's chances of escaping for good.

Now, as Kevin drove his car to the Savior of the Universe's Penthouse Headquarters, the sun was just starting to break the horizon. Upon seeing this, the older man rammed his foot on the gas and charged into the building at what could only be described as reckless speed. He drifted the vehicle into an unoccupied area right next to the elevator, clearly marked 'Loading Zone- No Parking', got out of his car, violently slamming the door behind him in the process and proceeded into the lift.

He was so flustered by this point that he momentarily forgot the procedure to get up to the top floor and just jammed his finger into the button marked with the numerical read-out "30". He nearly ran his fist through the panel when the mechanical voice he himself had programmed, advised him that the function he'd selected was denied as this was a secured level.

He summoned what equanimity he had left, taking a slow calming breath just as his beautiful redhead had shown him, before getting out his keys, placing the correct one into the keyhole in the panel and entering his access code into the keypad that instantly opened upon the key turning.

As the elevator progressed up the building, the raven-haired man tried to control his temper. It'd do him no service to murder the man he'd come for upon seeing him. He needed his help to capture the criminal they were after. The rest, he knew, was up to him.

This wasn't the first time Aggregor had managed to break out of the Null Void. The last time, the orders to recapture him went to others. It had taken weeks to get him back. He had murdered over a dozen beings in the process. This time, the Galactic Court had been more severe in their ruling against him.

Certain Plumbers functioned for specific deployments, regardless of their training, due to certain inherent abilities. His redhead, in spite of her prowess in hand-to-hand combat and her astronomical abilities to manipulate manna to devastating effect, was a consummate diplomat at heart. So was Helen Armstrong, though her speed and agility made her invaluable in battle. They could talk and reason their way through most situations. It was their gift. These women were always part of the squad when Ben was summoned on diplomatic missions.

Even if his wife had not been on hiatus from the force after giving birth, however, she wouldn't have received these orders. Neither would Helen. There would be no 'talking' on this mission. These orders were for _him_. They didn't even come directly to Ben for a very specific reason… _He_ had a very unique psychological profile for a Plumber. The kind required for _this_ type of job.

Like most law enforcers, Ben was one-tracked when it came to the law, tunnel-visioned. Right was right, wrong was wrong. The rule of law always had to prevail. Besides that, he was the most kindhearted person the Osmosian knew. He was psychologically incapable of taking out someone for good. His psyche simply couldn't handle something like that.

The older man had no such conflicts in his psyche, mostly because he'd actually committed the act already, though admittedly always in self-defense. Furthermore, he'd _been_ a sociopath. He'd been a _criminal_ and he _was_ an Osmosian. He understood the propensity and the drive of someone like Aggregor to continue hurting people, simply because he could. The man had refused redemption. He'd chosen to indulge in the cravings every one of his people who had sampled life energy suffered from- the cravings he himself dealt with. As long as he breathed, others would cease to. He had to go. It was simple as that. Kevin knew and accepted his role in this mission besides that of commander…

He was the executioner.

As the elevator halted at the top floor, the raven-haired man found that putting his mind on something besides his desire to throttle the brunette had actually served rather well in mitigating his anger somewhat. Admittedly, he was still fuming at the younger man, but at least he was no longer murderous. That was a definite improvement!

He didn't bother chiming his presence before keying in the code to unlock the elevator door. When they'd last spoken three hours ago, Ben had informed him that Julie was pulling a double shift at the hospital and the jerk didn't deserve the warning before getting ambushed for stalling their mission.

The doors opened soundlessly into the familiar loft-like space that was the wielder of the Ultimatrix's living area and kitchen. Scanning the spacious area briefly and realizing the younger man was obviously not there, Kevin quietly checked the washroom before heading down the hall to the bedrooms, his ire swelling up again with every step he took.

If this idiot had fallen asleep again after they talked…

After checking the final guest bedroom, he ran an exasperated hand through his hair, stopping at the tie to his ponytail. He narrowed his eyes furiously at the only door left unchecked- that which led to the master bedroom. It hung wide open, almost mocking him.

He made absolutely no attempt to check either his volume or the venom in his baritone, promenading straight through the offensive entryway and rounding the corner into the room.

"I swear, Tennyson! If you don't get your lazy a-" Both his rampage and his angry rant came to a crashing halt right there, once his eyes fell upon his best friend whose emerald eyes darted up to meet his in scandalized outrage as he finished pulling up his pants, which happened to be the only article of clothing he sported presently.

The older man was eternally grateful the twenty-two year old had built up quite the impressive bulk over the last few years and was standing directly in front of his bed. This served to block out the view of the man's wife, whom the Osmosian heard scramble to cover herself with their sheets the instant he made his entrance into their bedroom.

Her enraged arraignment was both instantaneous and thunderous.

"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! KEVIN! GET OUT OF HERE!

When his best friend just stood there, onyx eyes as big as tar pits and mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, Ben huffed out a disbelieving breath, scrambling around to collect his previously discarded shirt, socks and boots. The instant he had recovered his clothes from the floor, he harshly placed an arm against the older man's chest, forcefully shoving him backwards out through the bedroom door into the hall. He slammed the door shut behind him once they were outside, turning a beyond furious sneer on the Osmosian.

"Haven't you ever heard of _knocking_, Psycho?"

Once he was no longer caught in the terrifying headlights that were the scalding, recriminating, dark hazel eyes currently belonging to the tiny Japanese American behind the closed bedroom door; Kevin found his ability to form coherent thought and speech return to him rather quickly. He sneered down at his best friend, accusation clear in his voice as he pointed at the entryway. "First of all, you lied about Julie being at the hospital! Why would I knock for _you_? I've _never_ freaking knocked for you! Second, your bedroom door was wide open, Moron! What was I supposed to knock on?"

Ben didn't bother responding to him as he irately shoved past him, purposely ramming his shoulder into him in his aggravation. Kevin took another centering breath to keep from retaliating by driving his already clenched fist into the middle of the man's massive retreating bare torso. Only Benjamin Kirby Tennyson would turn his back to him after doing what he'd just done. The guy was either entirely too trusting or the stupidest jerk alive!

In a continued attempt to abstain from getting violent with the younger man, he crossed his arms tightly across his chest, following him into the massive living area.

The brunette threw his shoes and socks callously on the floor in front of the corner of the sectional which ran the entire length of two walls, pulling his shirt on over his head before turning to direct his retort at the approaching Osmosian. "I didn't lie about Julie! She _was_ at the hospital when you paged, Dude! But, like you do every time we get a deep space assignment, I had to let _my_ wife know I was leaving for Lord-knows-how-long, Kevin! She was able to get someone to cover her shift for a few hours so that she could rush over here and see me off."

He ran a hand through his chestnut hair in frustration, plopping down on the couch. He began pulling on his socks and shoes while looking up at the older man. He noticed his friend's angry expression had morphed into commiserating understanding. He continued, releasing a sigh. "I've been married for three months and have managed to spend all of three, maybe four weeks altogether with my wife, Kev. Between the sadistic schedule those doctors have her keeping because she's a first-year and the sheer insanity that passes for normal in my life…"

"Look, I know I'm late and Magister Krunuk is going to have both our butts for this, but I needed to spend some time with Julie before we left. I needed to say goodbye to my wife…"

Kevin was at a complete loss as to what he could say here. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like a bigger jerk. However, he was fairly certain it hadn't been in many, many years. The only response he could come up with was to lay a hand on his best friend's shoulder comfortingly, sending him a sincerely attritional look.

The brunette rewarded the gesture with a grateful, tired smile before his eyes shifted to the hallway leading to the bedrooms. His wife was emerging from it, dressed in the lovely deep wine, silk Yukata she wore as a robe around the house, smiling warmly at him.

She'd schooled her delicate features into a blank expression by the time the older man also turned to face her, remorse shining in his obsidian eyes. She pointedly ignored his presence altogether, handing her husband a duffle bag for his trip (obviously clothes and other toiletries he'd need) and his thick black belt. She then proceeded to run her fingers trough his hair lovingly, before whispering almost inaudibly. "I'll miss you."

This was swiftly followed by a soft kiss to his lips, which both wanted desperately to deepen but neither knew was possible. She grudgingly pulled away from him, heading for the kitchen that was part of the large living area. The younger man just sent a longing glare at her tiny retreating form.

The Osmosian's guilt was pretty much killing him at this point. He just had to say something to her. "Julie I'm so sorry, I barged in on-"

The raven-haired man actually jolted when the little ebony cut him off by violently slamming the refrigerator door after getting out a pitcher of milk. She instantly rounded on him. "You barged in on nothing, Kevin!"

Both men cringed at the spiteful edge her inflection attained in that one statement. It still amazed them both how this tiny woman could go from tame as a kitten to vicious as a panther in the blink of an eye.

She finished pouring herself her cup of milk before lifting the glass in her hand as she crossed her arms. She leveled an icy glare at her husband's best friend, elaborating on her previous statement towards him in a calculated intonation. "Then again, who could blame you for not being able to tell the difference at this point?"

An uneasy feeling began to mix in with the older man's guilt as he narrowed his eyes at the deceptively conniving little woman several feet before him. The fact that he could see the brunette sitting on the couch off to his side begin to smirk sadistically at her, wasn't helping.

The ebony noted the Osmosian's reaction and tilted her head in feigned contemplation. "Devlin is what? Nine weeks old now, Kev? Gwen told me yesterday that they extended her quarantine another seven days." She stopped here to let out a slow whistle, shaking her head in mock sympathy. "Squeezing out that twelve pound bundle of joy must've seriously wrecked her for them to have extended it three times! Therefore, I'm guessing it's been a minimum of two and a half months for you, hasn't it? Small wonder, what you just witnessed would _confuse_ you!"

At this impasse, Ben could no longer contain it and started laughing. Kevin turned his now dangerously affronted, menacing glare on the younger man, who simply leaned back on the couch holding his stomach as the guffaws persisted. "What can I tell ya, Man!" He was able to gasp out. "This is why I married her! I love this chick!"

Julie wasn't quite done dishing out her punishment to her friend just yet, however. She shortened the distance between herself and her target to the counter nearest the males, leaning against it, still holding her glass of milk. She glared evilly at the side of the Osmosian's face. She knew he had amazing peripheral vision. "Oh, and isn't Gwen breastfeeding? That must be quite a sight for _you_ right about now!"

At those last words, the older man's eyes darted back to lock with her aloof gaze, a horrified, unvoiced plea evident in their onyx depths. The Japanese American was far too angry with him to afford the mercies that look begged for. "How's it feel to know your infant son is getting more action with your own wife than you are? Having fun with that, Kevin?"

The Savior of the Universe was now laughing so hard tears were falling freely from his eyes. His best friend kicked him hard in the shin for mocking him, but the younger man just grabbed his aching leg with both hands, falling on his side on the couch, gasping for air.

Kevin just rolled his frustrated eyes and landed them back on the tiny, obviously disgruntled ebony in the kitchen. He ran a hand down his face gruffly before addressing her in what he hoped sounded like a contrite tone. "My God, Julie! I apologized for-"

Once again, she interjected his statement incensed. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, Kevin! There's no apologizing for _that_!" She pointed frantically in the direction of the master bedroom to punctuate her statement. "_That_ is going to take time, a whole lot of patience on my part and a very lengthy conversation between me and Gwen about every single thing that's wrong with _you_!"

The raven-haired man just allowed his shoulders to slump in defeat, watching the Japanese American turn away from him to stand over the sink and take a sip of her milk. He continued watching her as she drank, his guilt-ridden mind trying to formulate both a way to make this up to her and a way to get back in his redhead's good graces once he got back and that aforementioned conversation had occurred.

His eyes suddenly widened when she spit out the last sip she'd taken from the cup into the sink and gasped, clutching her stomach. "Oh, God!" She instantly brought her hand up to her mouth as her body shuddered with the sudden urge to retch. She turned and dashed for the washroom as fast as she could. The sound of the milk she'd been drinking and last night's dinner exiting her system, soon following.

Ben was on his feet now, but made no attempt to go after her, which honestly struck the older man as odd. He'd be totally freaked out if this suddenly happened to Gwen! Heck! He was freaked out it was happening to Julie!

He sent a questioning look at his best friend who didn't return it, choosing instead to venture hesitatingly closer to the washroom that held his vomiting wife while tying his belt around his waist. He called out to her, a mix of concern and apprehension tingeing his voice. "Julie! Will you be alright?"

There was a lull in the retching, followed by a few shallow breaths. Then, "I'll be fine, Ben! Go!" This was immediately followed by another bought of vomiting.

The wielder of the Ultimatrix turned to face his best friend, stating simply. "Yeah! She's going to be a while. We'd better just go. We've said our goodbyes." Then he moved over to the couch and threw his bag over one shoulder, moving towards the elevator with the older man following.

Kevin continued looking at the open washroom door worriedly as his best friend keyed in his code and the elevator door opened. He put a halting hand on the younger man's shoulder right before he could step inside. He regarded him with complete stoicism once his emerald eyes were on him. "Dude, the only time this happened to Gwen…"

Ben's eyes darted briefly in the direction of the washroom, concern flashing in them fleetingly, before he replied. "Yeah, I know."

The older man quirked a curious, enthralled eyebrow up at him. "So she's already…"

A conspiratorial smirk spread across the brunette's face as he leaned closer to whisper in a tone matching his smile, "Why do you think I go out of my way to be with her every chance I get. I need to take advantage while the getting is good…"

He now entered the lift, sending a superior smirk at the laudatorily smiling Osmosian just beyond. "After all, close to a year from now... I might be stuck in the same sorry position your dumb butt is now!"

Once the insulted older man got on the elevator…

Well, let's just say- it was an interesting ride down to the parking lot.

_FIN!_

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><p><strong>AN: One kiss! I have no idea how my mind works…**

**Please Review!**


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